By Thanks for clicking into our end of the year coverage! Merry-Go-Round Magazine is an independent culture site funded by people like you! If you’re enjoying our End of 2024 Coverage, consider becoming a member of our Patreon, or even donating to our operation here! Between now and January 1st, you can get one of our amazing crewneck sweaters if you become a Patron at the $5 tier! Thanks in advance for supporting MGRM!
As we continue our 2024 coverage, we want to highlight some great EPs released this year. Below are our favorite shorter-form releases, many of which tend to linger at the fuzzier end of the rock spectrum. Check out these EPs, and be sure to dive into our unfolding array of year-end round ups.
Honorable Mentions:
Bliss Field – S/T
Hot Joy – SMALL FAVOR
Bassvictim – BASSPUNK
Agriculture – LIVING IS EASY
herlovebeheadsdaisies / edith pike – SISTERS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
5. Jane Penny – SURFACING
Genre: Yacht Rock, Dream Pop
For over a decade, Montreal’s wonderful lo-fi, soft-pop menagerie TOPS have emerged as one of the strongest and most lowkey influential bands of the modern era. A couple years since their fantastic last LP, I FEEL ALIVE, the fine TOPS folks have kept busy, releasing the PERFECTED STEPS EP and keyboardist Marta Cikojevic’s debut solo LP as Marci in 2022. This year, frontperson Jane Penny stepped out with a solo EP of her own. Creating a singular sonic space, absent David Carriere’s patented guitar licks and the band’s rhythm section, the record defines its own distinct soundscape that nonetheless still maintains the sophisti-pop, synthpop, and yacht rock influences that comprise the signature TOPS sound. This allows Penny to dive deeper into an aqueous sound that accentuates both the sensuality and poeticism of her songwriting, with more keyboard and sample-heavy arrangements evocative of the Blue Nile, Everything but the Girl, and Sean Nicholas Savage alike. Striking out on her own allows Jane to readily feature her airy vocals and demonstrate her skills as a flautist (an increasingly crucial element in alternative music, as of late!). Essentially a mini album at seven tracks and 21 minutes, this is the rare EP that feels just as considered and purposeful as a full album—a satisfying meal that properly satiates our appetite for new TOPS music in 2025. Keep ‘em coming, chef! [Luke Phillips]
4. Softcult – HEAVEN
Genre: Riotgaze, Dream Pop
For my money, the best EP of the year came from Canadian twins Softcult. The self-professed “riotgaze” duo have been percolating for the last four or five years, releasing a strong set of singles and EPs, each richer and poppier than the last; their latest, HEAVEN, finds their fuzzy rock sound growing drearier and dreamier. The best songs on it are weightless yet loud, like opener “Haunt You Still” or the gauzy closer “Heaven,” but the hypnotic singer-songwriter showcase at its center, “Spiraling Out,” unlocks a new kind of atmosphere for Softcult. Their slow, almost-real-time sonic evolution over the last few years has been exciting to watch; if/when a debut album comes, we’ll be ready. [CJ Simonson]
3. Antenna – S/T
Genre: Punk
Tim “Shogun” Wall, of Royal Headache fame, dropped one of the finest punk EPs of 2024. It’s barebones punk but with an oddly folksy lean, like if Bruce Springsteen joined the Clash in some bizarro alternate universe. All that prowess and experience isn’t just about fostering a warm surge of nostalgic punk—Wall and company are exciting and wholly rejuvenated in how they make such fundamental noise. It’s punk that’ll move ya fully and deeply, and have you remembering when the world was yours to fight. [Chris Coplan]
2. Cusp – THANKS SO MUCH
Genre: Indie Rock
Chicago has always been an incredible music city, but it has served up some phenomenal acts just in the last few years. Take the newest EP from Jen Bender’s project Cusp, a collection of delectably dreamy, shoegaze-infused songs worthy of being stacked up against many of the full-length records from 2024. With lyrics full of wit and wisdom that twist and swirl into impeccable harmonies, THANKS SO MUCH is a punchy EP, a perfect portion of songwriting that only leaves you wanting more. [Jack Probst]
1. Nourished By Time – CATCHING CHICKENS
Genre: Hypnagogic Pop
Cunning Baltimore native Marcus Brown is in his bag. 2023’s EROTIC PROBIOTIC 2 was his big break into the music world as Nourished by Time—adventurous, dancey, R&B-laden sophisti-pop with lyrics on heartbreak, loss, and fighting against the system. Now with many accolades and an XL label signing under his belt, his cool vulnerability is getting the flowers it deserves. The lustrous CATCHING CHICKENS EP is Brown’s victory lap for his newfound success. Opener “Hell of a Ride” erupts with soaring choruses and uplifting ‘80s keys, the title allegorically hinting at the recognition positively shaking up his life. His sonic breadth has evolved with “Hand on Me,” a chillwave earworm with a bouncy drum machine beat, even more so on the hazy, guitar-drenched “Poison-Soaked.” “Had Ya Called” is alt-R&B perfection with its sweeping guitar licks, a trend carried over to the swaying closer “Romance in Me” where Brown’s deep voice crashes through the enormous instrumentation. CATCHING CHICKENS ebbs and flows, but the one constant is that it glows with pride—I’m sure Brown is too. [Dom Lepore]
Comments